The Federal Aviation Administration is announcing some temporary safety measures put in place following two near-misses at John F. Kennedy International Airport in which planes came within several hundred feet of each other.

The changes, impact takeoffs and landings and the amount of time that's allotted between them. It's a procedure that's usually used during the winter months, according to NY1 News.

Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said a preliminary investigation into the recent near-misses reveals that communication problems were to blame for both incidents.

Other safety measures include the installation of lights at major airports – including JFK, LaGuardia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport – to signal when a runway is safe to enter or cross.

The most recent incident happened when a Delta plane that was landing came within 600-feet vertically and a half-mile horizontally of a Comair plane that was taking off. There was a similar incident on July 5th.

The incidents have led to increased complaints from the air traffic controllers union that local control towers are understaffed.

The FAA is looking to tackle that issue as well. It's now offering $100,000 bonuses to air traffic controllers from across the country to come to the New York City area.

The FAA says the incidents were not caused by a shortage or lack of experienced air traffic controllers, but rather poor communication. The agency is, however, stepping up its recruitment efforts, by going to high schools and posting advertisements on MySpace and Craigslist.